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An "Explorer in Universe" contributing thoughts, seeking feedback, building syntropy
The Objective, The Subjective, and The Nature of Design Science
Posted on 14 March 2018 by cjf
In Buckminster Fuller's magnum opus, Synergetics, he makes the audacious assertion that "The subjective and objective always and only coexist and therewith demonstrate the inherent plurality of unity: inseparable union" (see 1013.16). I had forgotten that, but I had remembered that in reading Bucky my understanding of the words "subjective" and "objective" was enriched and enlivened.
I subliminally remembered this quote at the end of my study of Modern and Contemporary American Poetry (ModPo) with Al Filreis of the University of Pennsylvania. On 18 November 2015, I attempted to explain the idea to the ModPo community.
But what did Bucky mean by "the subjective and objective always and only coexist"? Let me give my interpretation and suggest its profound significance for our lives and in characterizing the nature of Bucky's notion of design science.
In Bucky's Synergetics (and probably in his entire oeuvre), I think by "objective" he usually means voluntarily working to realize an objective, a goal, or a purpose whereas by "subjective" he means involuntarily subjected to happenings (which may be due to necessity or chance or circumstance). Bucky's meanings for "objective" and "subjective" are logical variants of their root words "object" and "subject" even though they are not the most common in contemporary parlance.
Do you agree that "objective" and "subjective" can be used in this way?
Here is my evidence for Bucky's usage: In 302.00 and 305.05, he explicitly identifies objective with voluntary and subjective with involuntary. In 986.032, he identifies objective with experimental and subjective with experiential. In 100.010, Bucky identifies objective with active/self and subjective with passive/otherness.
Do you agree with my interpretation of Bucky's use of the words "objective" and "subjective"? Can you cite other Bucky passages that further clarify his thinking?
Does Universe relentlessly subjugate us to situations which we did not voluntarily choose? Simultaneously, are we not also the agents of ongoing genesis intentionally and objectively building our futures (to paraphrase Harold G. Nelson and Erik Stolterman in their profound 2012 book The Design Way)?
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Posted in Design Science, Philosophy, Science, Synergetics | 25 Comments | Add Comment | Read More »
Addenda to My Conversation With Harold Channer
Posted on 17 December 2014 by cjf
Harold Channer invited me to the studios of MNN (Manhattan Neighborhood Network) in New York City to record two one-hour editions of the TV program "Conversations with Harold Hudson Channer" on Tuesday the 25th of November, 2014. Since few things I write or speak come out fully baked, I thought I'd add a few additional thoughts to clarify, improve, or correct some of my comments. Since I value discussion, I sprinkled my remarks with many questions which I hope will elicit your feedback in the comments.
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My Two Presentations at 2012 Buckminster Fuller Legacy Conference
Posted on 12 December 2012 by cjf
I participated in the ReVIEWING Black Mountain College 4: Looking Forward at Buckminster Fuller's Legacy conference on September 28-30, 2012 in Asheville, NC, USA. I gave two talks (click on the links below to see the PDF presentations):
Please share any thoughts you might have about these presentations in the comments. I would value your feedback.
Posted in Education, News, Synergetics | 2 Comments | Add Comment | Read More »
Models of Projective Geometry
Posted on 24 July 2012 by cjf
For me the most enticing facet of projective geometry is the profound way in which it treats duality. Duality is the notion that certain fundamental distinctions have similar structure in their complementary forms. In comparing a form with its dual, the basic structure remains even though the roles of the forms reverse. Inside and outside. Convex and concave. Yin and yang. In 2D (two-dimensional) projective geometry, point is dual with line; in 3D point is dual with plane while lines are self-dual. The relationship of duality is so penetrating and pervasive in projective geometry, that we might consider it the geometry of fundamental duality. It provides a geometrical stage upon which duality can be studied in a pure form.
Another profound aspect of projective geometry is its elementary treatment of incidence where one considers the join (∨) and meet or intersection (∧) of two basic geometrical objects such as point, line, plane, and hyperplane. The most fundamental correspondence of geometrical forms associates points and lines in dual arrangement: the points on a line form a range and the lines through a point form a pencil. The correspondence between a pencil and a range is a basic projection. Next a perspective relation joins a pencil with two ranges or a range with two pencils; that is, by combining two elementary projections. Such a perspectivity maps points to points, or dually, lines to lines as shown in the figure.
In the essay "Design Strategy" in Buckminster Fuller's book Utopia or Oblivion, he includes projective geometry in his list of recommendations for a curriculum of design science. The connection between projective geometry and design thinking is an area that deserves more attention.
A Catalog of Models of Projective Geometry
The rest of this essay tersely describes a broad listing of some of the more basic models of projective geometry. Models are a powerful tool for learning and for understanding as explained in my essay about the Importance of Model Thinking (based on Scott E. Page's course). The models included below should provide an introduction to and an overview of projective geometry for those new to the subject (Note: some of these models require background knowledge that is not explained here. They are indicated with a . I encourage you to skim or skip such models, but to read on as later models may be more tractable.) I hope the experts will find the succinct summary and references useful. Although this list is fairly comprehensive, there are many models that are necessarily omitted. If you have a favorite model, please post a comment about it.
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The Importance of Model Thinking
Posted on 14 June 2012 by cjf
Models can help us understand, predict, strategize, and re-design our worlds. This is the profound lesson from Scott E. Page's engaging on-line Coursera offering on Model Thinking. I was particularly interested in this 10 week course because Buckminster Fuller instilled in me a deep appreciation for models. With this course, Scott Page reinforced and enhanced that appreciation in spades. Also, like Bucky, Page makes his penetrating approach accessible to a very broad audience. This is a great course for anyone with even rudimentary algebra skills.
In addition to reviewing the course, I will also suggest that model thinking is a new more incisive kind of science. This approach and its nascent toolkit for understanding, decision-making, prediction, strategy, and design is vitally important for practitioners of all types. Model thinking may be just the type of tool humanity needs to solve some of its thorniest problems. As such its arrival into broader consciousness is not a moment too soon!
Why Model Thinking
There are many ways to model the world. One of the most popular is with proverbs or short pithy sayings (our modern media seem to particularly love this deeply flawed "sound bite" approach to knowledge). As Scott Page points out, there are opposite proverbs too. For instance, the opposite of "nothing ventured, nothing gained" is "better safe than sorry." Proverbs and their more elaborate cousins, allegories, can model or represent the world with persuasive stories, but they provide little discerning power and little basis for deeper understanding. In contradistinction, model thinking with its greater concern for precision can help us more carefully distinguish a complex of important factors with their interrelationships and behaviors. Therein lies its power!
Is intuition sufficient? No! Philip Tetlock, Robyn Dawes and others have demonstrated that simple naive models outperform experts of all stripes. In 1979 Dawes wrote a seminal paper, The Robust Beauty of Improper Linear Models in Decision Making, which showed the effectiveness of even "improper" linear models in outperforming human prognostication. Tetlock has made the most ambitious and extensive study of experts to date and finds that crude extrapolation models outperform humans in every domain he has studied.
That is not to say that models are "right". Page emphasizes that all models are "wrong" too! Which leads to his most profound insight in the course: you need many types of models to help think through the logic of any given situation. Each model can help check, validate, and build your understanding. This depth of understanding is essential to make better decisions or predictions or build more effective designs or develop more effective strategies to achieve your goals.
Is intuition important? Yes, absolutely! The many model thinker relies upon intuition to select and critically evaluate a battery of models or to construct new or modified models when appropriate. These models help test our intuition. Intuition helps tests the models! Writing out a model often identifies facets and elements of the situation which intuition misses. Intuition is essential to find the aspects of the models that are a bit off the mark — and all models are a bit off. Model thinking is not "flying on instruments" or turning control over to mathematical or computer models. Instead it is about evaluating and comparing diverse models to test, build, fortify, and correct our intuitions, decisions, predictions, designs, and strategies.
Fascinating Models
Page's course is filled to the brim with fascinating models! One of the first models Page introduces is Thomas Schelling's segregation model which represents people as agents on a checkerboard. We discover deep and unexpected insights about how people sort themselves into clusters where everyone looks alike, for example, the segregation of neighborhoods based on race, ethnicity, income, etc. It is the first of many agent-based models to be discussed.
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Posted in Reviews, Science, Video Course Review | 3 Comments | Add Comment | Read More »
Dante's Great "Commedia" or Poetry as a way of Knowing
Posted on 29 April 2012 by cjf
Dante's Commedia, written in the early 1300s, is ostensibly an epic poem about a pilgrim who travels through Inferno (hell), Purgatorio (purgatory), and Paradiso (heaven) to encounter God face-to-face and then returns to tell us about it. More interestingly, it is a poem of learning, philosophy, and the struggles of life with more nuances, depth and perspectives than I would have thought possible had I not read it myself. To say that the Commedia is rich in a multidimensional way is an understatement. The Commedia is intricate, dramatic, thrilling, mind-blowing, cosmic, shocking, ineffable, sometimes oppressive, and altogether extraordinary!
The pilgrim is Dante himself and his guide through most of the journey is the Roman poet Virgil. Open Yale Courses provides its own able guide in Giuseppe Mazzotta who presents a fascinating and deeply engaging course ITAL 310: Dante in Translation (videos at YouTube). Mazzotta places the Commedia, more commonly entitled The Divine Comedy, in the encyclopedic tradition (a circle of knowledge through the liberal arts) but he also calls it an epic, romantic, autobiographical, and visionary poem. Indeed by the end of the course, I had lost track of how many different angles on the poem Mazzotta had identified: prophetic, philosophical, historical, sublime, humanistic, theological, scientific, geometrical, musical, a poetry of hope, a poetry of the future, etc., etc.!
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Determinism and Randomness Always and Only Coexist
Posted on 21 February 2012 by cjf
It may be that the presumed dichotomy between determinism and randomness is superficial and illusory. Determinism is the world view that events result from an unalterable causal chain. It models the world as a clock whose behavior can be inferred by scientific investigation. Stocasticity or randomness is the world view that uncertainty pervades experience. It models the world as a dice game with unpredictable behavior.
Many thinkers including Einstein, Buckminster Fuller, and D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson have argued in support of the traditional deterministic world view[1]. However, Quantum mechanics, machine learning, and behavioral economics are three prominent areas which have helped realign modern thinking to apprehend that randomness and uncertainty may be fundamental and pervasive. Leonard Mlodinow in a 2008 book goes further and argues that randomness rules our lives.
In preparing for and discussing randomness at a recent meetup of the Ben Franklin Thinking Society, I started to gravitate to the hypothesis that uncertainty and determinism may be like inside and outside or concave and convex. They may be both real, both partially right and partially wrong, both revelatory and misleading. It may be that each perspective is a "tuning in" to only part of a reality that is both-neither[2].
Here are several ways to see the dual and co-occurant qualities of the stochastic and deterministic models or world views.
In a deterministic model of the world, the fixed set of laws that govern everything apply to every quanta of energy or their constituents. So computing the state of the world requires applying these fixed laws to each such quanta from some initial state and iterating through each picosecond of time. Clearly, this is computationally infeasible except for the computer known as Universe itself. So any effective simulation or calculation will entail estimates and approximations, that is, randomness. Unwittingly, randomness imposes itself into the system!
Conversely, in a stochastic model the relationships between data are given by frequencies with respect to their sample space, the set of possible outcomes. What could be more deterministic than the elementary counting of frequencies? Indeed probability is basically a form of advanced counting in ratios. Deterministic indeed!
Now consider measurement. The basis of a scientific model involves measurable parameters. Data are measurements. Science has determined that all measurements involve uncertainty. MIT physicist Walter Lewin puts it emphatically: "any measurement that you make without any knowledge of the uncertainty is meaningless!" Measurement theory is built upon the law of error which is a principle of the science of randomness. Hard data acquires its validity and persuasiveness from the science of chance!
On the other hand, the law of error is a central principle in statistics, the science of inferring probabilities from observed data. Such inference is the gold standard of scientific truth. The techniques of scientific inference are based on the mathematics of randomness. Like all mathematics, the theory is definite, rigorous, and repeatably verified by logic, proof and experiment. The sciences of probability and statistics are rigorous and deterministic like all mathematics!
Even in a fundamentally deterministic world, our understanding, decision-making, strategies, predictions, measurements, and designs are predicated upon uncertainty and randomness. To be effective we must be cognizant of these lingering unavoidable uncertainties.
Conversely, even in a fundamentally uncertain world ruled by randomness, pattern and order emerge and can be identified. To be effective we can and should seek the design and structure permeating through the apparent randomness.
From these considerations, I conclude that randomness and determinism always and only coexist. They are inseparable. Each provides a spectacular, incisive perspective on reality. The careful thinker or practitioner should be facile in using both types of models to get a more wholistic, more complete picture of the world in which we find ourselves. This is evidence that both-neither should be our guiding principle in seeking truth!
Do you find the argument compelling? Is it sound? Can you help me improve it? Do you see other ways in which these two models interpenetrate and interaccommodate? How do you see the interrelationship between determinism and randomness?
To better develop my understanding of a more complete set of models (beyond superficial determinism vs. stochasticity), I am excited about Scott E. Page's new and just started on-line video course on Model Thinking. I think we need many diverse models to sharpen our thinking and uncover subtleties in the complex systems and theories upon which our civilization is built. I am looking forward to wrapping my head around the 21 or so models in this course. You can register for the Model Thinking course by filling out the form at http://www.modelthinker-class.org/.
Finally, here are three good audio-visual resources that explore issues of randomness further:
[1] Click here to read my previous essay on randomness where arguments for determinism are discussed.
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The Pickwickian Sentiment
Posted on 24 January 2012 by cjf
I tuned in to the Pickwickian sentiment some 30 years ago when I first read Charles Dickens' inaugural novel The Pickwick Papers. Thanks to the impetus of The Free Library of Philadelphia's celebration of the 200th anniversary of Dickens' birth, I've re-read it and had the chance to think through its meaning more carefully. It seems to me that Pickwickian refers to the quality of certain expeditions, slice of life adventures or ordinary events which entail the strife and mettle incumbent upon most trials and tribulations which with good-heartedness, good-humour, patience, nurturing and some surprise tend to bring forth general benevolence and joy. It is a great sentiment which we could use more of in this world!
It seems to me this Pickwickian sentiment is the thread that holds together the plot of The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, the title in the original publication. The sentiment emerges explicitly with Mr. Bolton's clamour in chapter 1 and continues with the cab driver in chapter 2 who assaults Pickwick for taking notes on their conversation. Throughout there are countless incidents of turmoil and challenge which after at least some modicum of sound and fury end with wholesome benevolence and good will.
In the big picture of the novel, it is Pickwick's relationship with Nathaniel Winkle which exhibits Pickwickianism in its most dramatically nurturing and good-hearted sense. It is Winkle, the sportsman, whose careless shooting wounds fellow Pickwickian, Tracey Tupman. Winkle's disastrous outing on ice skates results in Pickwick's scathing admonition "[You're a] humbug, sir. I will speak plainer, if you wish it. An impostor, sir." Then at Pickwick's trial, it is Winkle who volunteers the "one instance of suspicious behavior towards females" which helps the jury decide against our good natured and innocent protagonist.
Through all these ills borne of Winkle's youthful ineptness, our eponymous leader embodies Pickwickian good spirit and supports his protégé. He intervenes after the unfortunate incident with the Dowlers in Bath which sends Winkle in flight. The dénouement of the novel is Pickwick's difficult mission to reconcile Winkle with his father. I was struck at Pickwick's remarkable devotion to Winkle and how that relationship exudes the Pickwickian sentiment through and through. Is this the plot that GK Chesterton missed in critiquing the novel?
These good-hearted and good-humoured adventures in the large as well as the innumerable little scenes throughout the novel reinforce my view that the plot of The Pickwick Papers is a tale of adventure showcasing the Pickwickian sentiment which through numerous fun and funny tribulations end with good-humour, pride and exultation. A comedy indeed!
It may be that my exalted view of Pickwick is unjustified. For a more conventional perspective see Edward Pettit's write-up Dickens Literary Salon: Pickwick Papers with its sundry references.
How would you characterize "Pickwickian"? Does "the Pickwickian sentiment" constitute a plot?
Pickwick and Bucky
When I discovered Buckminster Fuller it was his benevolence ("the planet's friendly genius") that attracted me. Could my enchantment with Pickwick have led me to another humanist like Bucky? I do not know. But both the great character and the great thinker share Pickwickian qualities. The one that seems most striking is Bucky's Mistake Mystique — Pickwickian indeed!
Do you see connections between Bucky and Pickwick?
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Learn Open Source Database Tools from Stanford for Free
Posted on 19 January 2012 by cjf
Since databases are a fundamental component of modern information systems, understanding at least their basics is essential knowledge for almost all citizens. Please read my review of Stanford's excellent free on-line course Introduction to Databases which is posted on the blog Managing FOSS for Business Results at http://blog.remoteresponder.net/2012/01/19/learn-open-source-database-tools-from-stanford-for-free.
Please let me know what you think of it.
Posted in Education, Reviews, Video Course Review | No Comments | Add Comment | Read More »
An Enquiry Concerning Scientific Understanding
Posted on 6 October 2011 by cjf
In a poignant lecture on The Logic of Science (412 MB QuickTime video download; 6800 word transcript), Stephen Stearns provides some of the most practical results from the philosophy of science possible in an introductory 45 minute lecture. Together with reading T. C. Chamberlin's essay The Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses, watching Kevin Kelly's lecture The Next 100 Years of Science: Long-term Trends in the Scientific Method (video at fora.tv) and participating in a recent discussion on On the Nature, Being, and Logic of Science at The Ben Franklin Thinking Society, I'm inspired to formulate and share some of my thoughts about the ever-changing "ways of knowing" that we call science. Even more so because the 2011 Design Science Symposium that I am helping to organize will try to broach the subject of the science in Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics.
Perhaps, the most intriguing thing I learned from the Stearns lecture was the importance of the method of multiple working hypotheses. I decided to read the source, a 1965 reprint of T. C. Chamberlin's classic 1890 essay "The Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses" (here is a printable PDF). I was hit by the insidiousness of the bias inherent in the hypothetico-deductive model of science which unfortunately is still taught as dogma in many science classes today. I was shocked to realize how counterproductive it can be to focus on developing and testing a simple working hypothesis, a style of thinking that I have frequently used and must now grow beyond!
Chamberlin convinced me that in science and in life we must challenge ourselves to imagine a comprehensive array of possible explanations (hypotheses). Only in this way can we get sufficient perspective to clearly see the kind of questions, observations and experiments that might tease out Truth from the inherent complexity of Universe. Wow, isn't that the essence of Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics: comprehensive thinking?
My next step on the ladder to understanding scientific knowledge was Kevin Kelly's fascinating 02006 talk on Long-term Trends in the Scientific Method (video). Kelly suggests that science is driven by applying knowledge to itself recursively or self-similarly. Kelly included a timeline which I have modified to give a slice through some milestones in the history of scientific ways of knowing:
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Posted in Philosophy, Science, Synergetics | 2 Comments | Add Comment | Read More »
A Big Picture, Conceptual Introduction to Biology: EEB 122
Posted on 23 August 2011 by cjf
Each of us is connected through our parents and their parents and so forth to a first life form which has no parent and is composed and derived from non-biological forms. So each of us is intimately connected through our genealogical history to the non-biological Universe! Indeed, each of us is connected in this way to the whole Universe!!! It is this type of conceptual, big picture thinking that pervades Stephen Stearns' free video course EEB 122: Principles of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior at Open Yale Courses (OYC). Even though I do not think the separation between life and non-life is as clearcut as Stearns suggests, Jeannie and I thoroughly enjoyed our excursion into Biology with Stephen Stearns as our guide at OYC!
The Importance of Biology, Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior
Understanding biology is essential as civilization is inseparable from the great ecosystems upon which it is built and in which it is housed. Our future is inextricably linked to the always changing nature of the Earth-Biosphere system which provides our food and shelter. In EEB 122, we learned that the entire Earth has been sculpted by the biological technology we call "life". At a more day-to-day human scale, medicine and health care are vital subjects in biology and in our economy (caring for the health of the ecosystem of cells, organs and their microscopic cohabitators known as "human" engages 9% of the economies in most OECD countries and nearly twice that in the USA). EEB 122 has a whole lecture devoted to medicine and more comments throughout the course.
Evolution theory has had a profound influence on modern thinking. From its nascent formulation by Charles Darwin, the theory of evolution has itself changed (evolved!) substantially over its first 150 years. I found it particularly interesting to learn that the modern theory is quite different from what my culture-imbued intuitions misled me to think. This course is eye-opening! Even if you disagree with some of the ideas of evolution (and who doesn't have some questions and concerns about this subtle subject which is itself changing), this course corrects some of our endemic misperceptions. For example, Stearns asserts in lecture 3 that the notion of "survival of the fittest" is wrong! I had no idea that that iconic "sound bite" is but a dead-end on the road to the modern theory of evolution!
With current concerns about global warming and other stresses on our environment, ecology is a vitally important subject. The point is reinforced by the work of three of the recent winners of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge which deeply engages the subject of ecology. The 2011 winner, Blue Ventures, conserves threatened marine environments. The 2010 winner, Project Hope, restores savannas and grasslands lost to desertification with a comprehensive program featuring cattle management. The 2008 winner, John Todd's Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World, restores the ecological devastation of the impact of mining in Appalachia. The principles of biology and ecology are essential to better understand and contribute to these and similar initiatives to improve our management of Earth's ecosystems while raising the standard of living of every human being. EEB 122 explains some of the vital principles that will underpin any such solution.
In summary, OYC's EEB 122 is an excellent introduction to the basic principles of biology needed to better understand medicine, health care, evolution theory, ecology, the behavior of organisms, and biological technologies such as the enterprising work of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge winners. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, EEB 122 gives a conceptually broad, biologically detailed introduction to one of the most enchanting visions of change ever developed: the theory of the evolution of species.
How We Used the EEB 122 Course Materials
Jeannie and I started watching EEB 122 around New Year's. We watch courses like this for edutainment. That is, we do not plan to become professional biologists, instead we watch video courses as a form cultural enrichment: How do biologists think? What do they know? What is the current understanding of evolution? I am deeply curious about how the world works. Video courses like EEB 122 are deeply enriching in this regard.
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Sugar is a chronic toxin
Posted on 21 July 2011 by cjf
After some 30 years of waning, my interest in the assertion that the effects of sugar are poisonous was rekindled in April by reading a piece entitled "Is Sugar Toxic?" by Gary Taubes in the New York Times. When Taubes wrote admiringly of John Yudkin (1910–1995) (whose short 1972 book "Sweet and Dangerous" profoundly influenced me when I read it in the early 80s), the effect was electrifying: maybe he was right … vindicated after all these years! To sober myself up, I began researching our current understanding of the biochemistry and physiology of sugar metabolism. My research supported an interesting three hour discussion at the 10 July 2011 meetup of the Ben Franklin Thinking Society in Philadelphia.
Although the case against sugar is stronger now than it was in the 1970s, there is still no ironclad proof of its toxicity (more on that below). Sentiment against sweeteners with fructose in them (table sugar is one-half fructose) is growing because it has been implicated in several biochemical pathways associated with the so called metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a complex of several (usually at least three) of the following factors: abnormal blood fat, high blood pressure, fatty liver, insulin resistance, and new fat deposition. Metabolic syndrome is very important because physicians now realize it is a more accurate predictor for diabetes, heart disease and cancer than any of the symptoms considered separately. The impact of this new perspective and the research that has ensued is starting to challenge conventional wisdom about the dietary factors involved in these diseases.
Taubes' New York Times article starts by referring to the powerful, "viral", 90-minute, YouTube video presentation by Dr. Robert Lustig indicting sugar. Lustig and Taubes convincingly lay out the case that fructose is a chronic toxin that causes metabolic syndrome. Therefore, it should be implicated as a causal factor in the obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease pandemics. Taubes ends his article ominously by quoting prominent oncologists (cancer physicians) worrying that cancer could be caused in part by fructose & sugar as well (a claim Lustig did not make).
The Robert Lustig Video: Sugar: The Bitter Truth
Dr. Robert Lustig argues that the "fat is bad craze" has failed us: we reduced our fat intake, but the obesity and diabetes epidemics grew much more intense in the 1990s and 2000s. He observes that the fastest growing epidemic in obesity is among six month old babies! So the disparaging view that gluttony and sloth are the key factors in obesity appears absurd: babies don't choose gluttony nor sloth — indeed, no one does! Could excess fat be a physiological problem and not a simple issue of "won't power" (a phrase my grandfather used)? Perhaps our conventional wisdom is wrong? Lustig argues convincingly that a calorie is NOT just a calorie: some have worse physiological effects than others.
Lustig's main thesis is that fructose acts in the body as a chronic toxin of the liver very much like alcohol. He observes that fructose is implicated in eight of the 12 chronic symptoms attributed to ethanol: high blood pressure, heart attack, abnormal blood fat, inflamation of the pancreas, obesity, liver dysfunction, insulin resistance, and habituation. In his not too difficult (but also not too easy) biochemistry lesson, Lustig points out that fructose and alcohol metabolism are nearly identical. Both hit the liver hard and both share many similar metabolic pathways. He concludes that "hepatic [liver-based] fructose metabolism leads to all of the manifestations of metabolic syndrome".
John Yudkin's Book "Sweet and Dangerous"
John Yudkin was a distinguished nutritionist and MD. He performed experimental studies and analyses of epidemiological data. As early as the 1960s, he concluded that sugar has no nutritional value beyond its calories and that if its effects were present in any other substance, it would be banned. This led to a heated debate with another distinguished nutritionist Ancel Keys who first proposed the link between dietary fat and heart disease. In his famous Seven Countries Study, Keys concluded that increased cholesterol and the western diet with its heavy load of saturated fats led to increases in heart disease and stroke. Keys effectively started the fat is bad craze that led to the US government's recommendation that we reduce fat consumption from 40% to 30% of calories. Lustig argues that Keys may have done his statistical analysis incorrectly. Could the last 30 years of nutritional guidance be based on a statistics mistake?
On re-reading Yudkin's book, I was impressed by his penetrating discussion of the techniques to prove causes of disease (a subject known as etiology). Yudkin observes that "absolute" proof requires pairing subjects into two groups who are as alike as possible with the exception of an experimental intervention. This "gold standard" in medical research is known as a clinical trial. Yudkin explains that the ethical and practical complications of such studies are enormous. Therefore, most nutritional and medical data comes from less reliable and more circumstantial evidence. Yudkin explains in basic terms the nature of epidemiological and experimental evidence and its limitations. Yudkin's book is a great non-technical introduction to medical research.
I wish that more non-technical nutrition and health writing would advise us of the complications in applying insights from new medical research given the inherent limitations especially since so few of us understand reasoning with uncertainty. Health sciences writers would do well to "take a page" from Yudkin's book.
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subset: commoncrawl


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The Real-World Mobile Application Pentesting Training Course (RMAP) is a highly-intensive mobile application security auditing training course designed to teach state-of-the-art practical technical methods and techniques for professionally executing a mobile application security audit or penetration test.
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IT-Security Penetration-Testers and/or Technical Auditors
IT-Security Practitioners and/or Technical Professionals
IT-Security Consultants
Mobile Application Developers and Programmers
and anyone who is looking to learn about how to conduct a technical vendor-neutral practical security-test against mobile applications.


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After a five-day leave of absence during which time the FBI raided his former offices, Vivek Kundra was cleared of any implications in a bribery case involving a former employee of his, Yusuf Acar.The F.B.I. said that Kundra was not implicated in the bribery case, but he took a leave from his new federal job anyway. Acar has been charged with bribery.Kundra departed his White House job just hours after his first public appearance as the nations first chief technology officer.
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Custom printed plastic loyalty & rewards cards are a great way to attract repeat business and reward your most loyal customers.
In addition to increased sales revenue, loyalty & rewards cards have proven to be an invaluable marketing tool, when coupled with POS software. If you are already offering gift cards to your customers, your POS system likely has a loyalty & rewards program, too! We print custom loyalty cards for your business, and can help set up your POS.
Looking to upgrade your current loyalty or rewards program? Consider a loyalty key tag or card + key tag combo!


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"Research shows that students need at least 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction per day in order for sufficient student reading development, and that this instruction must be dense: systematically delivering explicit teacher directions; scaffold over time; and differentiated instruction across the classroom."
90 minute of English Language Arts and Marshallese Language Arts was introduced last year. This year several schools have piloted the 90 minute English Language Arts and 90 minute Marshallese Language Arts.
The changes made were to extend the contact hour from 60 minutes to 90 minutes due to the fact that students continued to fall behind their grade level expectations both in Marshallese and English literacy. The extended time from 60 to 90 is still a challenge to a lot of teachers. Throughout the school year, several trainings were conducted around the 90 minute block. More trainings are scheduled this summer for outer island teachers. Another problem teachers are facing during 90 minute Marshallese Language Art are the resources. Most of the centers are primarily in English. Although most stories and activities are written in English, our teachers utilized resources that are available: creating their own stories, writing sentences in Marshallese. This summer teachers will work with ISC Media to record stories in Marshallese so that the students will listen to more stories narrated in their native tongue.
Every day, students spend 90 minutes in either English Language Arts and 90 minutes in Marshallese Language Arts. Students, based on assessments, are split in groups and assigned to work in a center. There are several different centers: reading center, listening center, writing center, spelling center, and sentence-building center. Each group spends fifteen minute on a center. Towards the end of the 90 minute language block, the students come together so the teacher can assess what they learned. Instruction and activities that are well-planned and organized are delivered most successfully.
Pictured are Delap Elementary School 1A students with teacher Lilly Abon during their 90 Minute Marshallese Language Art.
Gumm, Ruth & Turner, Sheryl. 90-Minutes Plus [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.fcrr.org/staffpresentations/Ruth/90MRBfinal2.pdf
10-08-2018 Hits:30 News and Updates Admin
Download PSS Employment Application HereRead more
07-02-2018 Hits:202 News and Updates Admin
Laura High School's "Candle Lighting and Pinning Ceremony" on Wednesday, February 7, pinned 23 seniors from the Health Academy 2 (HA2) and 11 more from the Teacher Academy 2 (TA2)...Read more
19-01-2018 Hits:90 News and Updates Admin
On January 9th, Delap Elementary School (DES) students, staffs, parents, along with some local and national government official gathered at the refined basketball court on the campus to witness the...Read more
09-10-2017 Hits:454 News and Updates Newton Langidrik
Iokwe Aolep! Teaching in Freedom, Empower Teachers -"Anemkwoj in Katakin, Kile Rikaki ro." "Teaching in Freedom, Empowering Teachers" is the theme of this year's World Teachers' Day, celebrated around the world since 1994. The empowerment of teachers emerged as...Read more
23-09-2017 Hits:577 News and Updates Newton Langidrik
Jined Club's Forum for Women & Girls 2017 PSS team led by acting Commissioner, Kanchi Hosia, displays presentation based on this year's theme for the forum "Jen Ṃōṇōṇō Kōn Jolet kein Ad"...Read more
06-09-2017 Hits:663 News and Updates Newton Langidrik
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31-07-2017 Hits:659 News and Updates Public Relation's Officer
PSS Accreditation Specialists Mabel Andrew and Petry Rakin during the Accreditation Workshop In the beginning of July, PSS principals and head teachers attended the 2nd annual accreditation workshop at USP's in...Read more
26-06-2017 Hits:953 News and Updates Public Relation's Officer
School Year 2016-2017 concluded for many schools throughout the Marshall Islands. Congratulations to all 2017 graduates, all the students who have completed this year, parents for investing in your child's...Read more
03-05-2017 Hits:990 News and Updates Public Relation's Officer
Students from both public and private school attended the Career Fair at Ebeye Gym. Office of Chief Secretary Ebeye Kwajalein Deputy Chief Secretary Abacca Anjain shares with PSS that this...Read more
24-04-2017 Hits:970 News and Updates Public Relation's Officer
Instead of staying at home watching TV or surfing the web, these students spent their Spring Break playing several outdoor activities which was hosted by Youth to Youth in Health...Read more
24-03-2017 Hits:1263 News and Updates Public Relation's Officer
Marshall Islands High School: On March 3rd, MIHS hosted their annual Practicum Orientation at MIR Poolside. 'Exploring future careers in life- the best way for life long survival" is the theme...Read more
03-03-2017 Hits:1317 News and Updates Public Relation's Officer
Towards the end of January, PSS District Supervisor Hebel Luther, PSS Math Curriculum Instructions Specialists Chizuko Matsumoto and Daishiro Taniguchi along with JOCV Junko Tanaka, Tomoko Kamochi, and Toshio Akiyama...Read more
To build capacity with school principals, the Curriculum, Instructions and Assessment (CIA) department Director and Specialists and Director of Staff Development worked strenuously to host a Professional Learning Community (PLC)…
16-18 November 2016 Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok Hotel, Thailand Senior officials from ministries of education from 32 countries, representatives from sub-regional, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, UN agencies, UNESCO institutes and academia across…
Who says you can't eat healthy and enjoy it? Students of Delap Elementary School were in for a week long treat, a nutritious treat that is. DES students learned about…
The Ministry of Education collaborated with Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) to conduct a Sector-Planning training for MOE's six components on the development of the…
Theme: Valuing Teachers, Improving Their Status. Honorable Minister Wilber Heine acknowledges the importance teachers. On October 10th, Minister Heine stated that, "Today is the day to celebrate and honour our teachers. Teachers…
Over the summer, primary level teachers attended a one week math textbook training. During this training, teachers were introduced to the new textbook 'Math In Focus.' The previous math textbook…
In mid-July, Honorable Minister Wilbur Heine attended the second Asia-Pacific Regional Policy Forum on Early Childhood Care and Education at Purtrajaya, Malaysia. This forum allowed Ministers and Vice-Ministers to comment…
This summer multi-grade teachers attended a multi-grade teaching strategies workshop. Multi-grade teacher participants have learned the importance of preparation, embracing change, utilizing a workbook, and staying committed to the workbook…


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Ramona's Surgery
Ramona's surgery went well, but the prognosis isn't great. The vet removed the mass and sent it for biopsy so we'll know what we're dealing with. But he discovered more masses he wasn't able to remove.
Regardless, for now, Ramona is back home and very happy to be here. She's a very brave little duck and feisty, so she's stable for now.
We'll have to wait and see just what the biopsy says before we can share more. That will likely be on Friday or Saturday.
Comments (3)
Good to hear that she's stable! We will hope for the best for her!
I hope it will be okay with her!
Lovely blog, really enjoying your posts. Thanks, Sara


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Halloween '09
Well, I thought it'd be a great idea for a cheap costume... I went as Tom Cruise from "Risky Business". I roamed the streets of East Point and even went to the Corner Tavern in my skivvies! In the movie, Tom was wearing briefs... I didn't want to follow suit. I guess I can stand going out in public in boxer briefs.... but it's too cold to go out in tighty whitey's.... if you know what I mean!


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Click here to view an interactive map of the Northern Ireland dataset as currently collated by CEDaR.
The map is generated through the NBN Gateway using their Interactive Mapping Tool.
This almost black, minutely tufted lichen with cylindrical lobes occurs where there is periodic wetting of hard calcareous rock. The habitats most favourable for this species are the water-filled depressions in limestone pavement; these act as catchment sites. As water slowly evaporates from these basins, the tiny cushions (0.5-3mm diam.) dry out, sometimes becoming very brittle, a phenomenon also seen in the jelly lichens Collema. As there are several lookalikes, a candidate specimen will require close attention. In L. botryosum the ends of the lobes should appear hardly swollen. Western Ireland on natural limestone.
Original text submitted by Vince J. Giavarini
|Simms, M. J., (2016). Lempholemma botryosum (A.Massal.) Zahlbr.. [In] LichenIreland.
http://www.habitas.org.uk/lichenireland/species.asp?item=18753 Accessed on 2018-08-15.


text: National Heritage Week is coordinated by The Heritage Council and its aim is to build awareness and education about our heritage thereby encouraging its conservation and preservation. At Irish Seed Savers we have our biggest open day of the year, we encourage everyone to visit, and enjoy our numerous garden & orchard tours, our mini workshops, food demonstrations, children's activities and beautiful homemade food, we will also have the cob pizza oven fired up. Free for Supports & Children.


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We have had a number of clients inform us they have seen the following email. If you receive this please be aware it is a hoax. Do not click on the links or reply, simply delete it. Feel free to notify us and if you have any questions or concerns, call us on 02 8831 8200.
The email looks like this:
—–Original Message—– From: System [mailto:System@] Sent: Tuesday, 13 October 2009 6:11 AM To: Subject: Mail system upgrade
On October 16, 2009 server upgrade will take place. Due to this the system may be offline for approximately half an hour. The changes will concern security, reliability and performance of mail service and the system as a whole. For compatibility of your browsers and mail clients with upgraded server software you should run SSl certificates update procedure. This procedure is quite simple. All you have to do is just to click the link provided, to save the patch file and then to run it from your computer location. That's all.
[Links that appeared here have been removed]
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter and sorry for possible inconveniences.
System Administrator


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Towanda Township
Geography, Topography, and History
The Township of Towanda is located centrally within the County. It is bounded to the northeast by Towanda Borough, to the east by Wysox and Asylum Township, to the south by Monroe Township, to the west by Burlington Township, and to the north by North Towanda Township. The Susquehanna River serves as the eastern border between the Township and Wysox Township. There are several creeks and their tributaries that flow through the Township, which include: Towanda Creek, French Run, and Sugar Creek. The major thoroughfare for the Township is Route 220, which travels north and south.
Towanda Township was established in 1808. It was one of the original towns of Bradford County, as it was organized before the County, which occurred in 1810. Previous names for the Township were Overton, Canewood, and Meansville. It now takes its name after the Native American word meaning, "where we bury the dead." Rudolph Fox was the first settler of Towanda Township and Bradford County.
Local Government and Current Data
The Township of Towanda has three elected supervisors and a secretary. The Township has opted out of organizing a planning commission or zoning regulations. The Township adopted its joint comprehensive plan in 2008. The comprehensive plan includes Towanda Borough, Township and North Towanda Township. All subdivisions and land developments must go through the regulations and standards set by the County Office of Planning and Grants.
The Bradford County Airport is located in Towanda Township. In 2001, the Bradford County Airport Authority, consisting of five members, became the official owners. The group meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. The Airport offers flying lessons for those interested as well as flight rentals. The dimension of the Runway is 4,300 feet long by 75 feet wide.
Tax Millage for 2017:
South Towanda
School District:
Towanda Area School District
FEMA Community Panel Number:
421113 0005
Population Demographics:
Total Population....1,097
Population Density....74.5
Square Miles....15.2
Population under 18....25.4%
Population over 65....14.1%
High School Graduates....78.6%
Higher Education Graduates....19.3%
Household Statistics:
Housing Units....467
Median Housing Values....$77,400
Median Rent....$434
Per Capita Income....$17,164
Median Family Income....$40,278
Population Below Poverty Level....16.6%
Emergency Services:
Fire Coverage: Towanda Fire Department
Ambulance Coverage: Towanda Memorial Hospital Ambulance
Police Protection: Pennsylvania State Police
Public Utilities:
Electric Company: Penelec
Gas Company: Valley Energy Inc
Water Company: Towanda Borough Water & Sewer System
Sewerage Facilities: Towanda Borough Water & Sewer System
Telephone Company: Frontier Communications
Francis Lindsey
Charlotte Sullivan
Gary Scranton
Lori Kepner
Mailing address:
44 Chapel Street
Towanda , PA 18848
(570) 265-4344 fax (570) 265-5648
Office hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Jeff Osmond
2nd Monday of the Month @ 7:00 p.m.
Towanda Towanda Municipal Office
44 Chapel Street
Towanda, PA 18848


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Mississauga, September 30, 2013 - Envision IT is delighted to announce that we have been selected by Microsoft to be part of the Business-Critical SharePoint Partner Program.
The Business-Critical SharePoint (BCSP) partner program is focused on expanding the market for building and delivering solutions that generate a business impact through advanced SharePoint solutions. The program consists of leading Microsoft partners worldwide, both independent software vendors and systems integrators, who provide the technology and the business expertise required to help customers to:
Envision IT is a qualified partner for the Line of Business + Enterprise Search track. Envision IT is a Microsoft Gold Partner and we deliver SharePoint solutions that allow our customers to surface the information they need to meet their business goals. We build integrated public websites, intranets, extranets, collaboration portals, and web applications that leverage your existing systems anywhere over the Internet.
To learn more, please contact Envision IT at (905) 812-3009 or e-mail
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From the envisioning stage to delivery, we work closely with you to understand your needs and deliver solutions that empower your business.


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Stanford developmental biologist Lucy Shapiro has been awarded the National Medal of Science, the United States' top science award.
A committee of 12 scientists and engineers appointed by the president of the United States evaluate nominees every year. Dr. Shapiro was recognized for her research, as well as her active involvement in national policy development.
Over the past several years, Shapiro has received an impressive amount of attention for her work on how the genetic circuitry of bacterial cells function and serve to orchestrate mitosis. Her research answers questions about the fundamental basis of stem cell function and the role of diversity in the natural world.
Shapiro's work has led directly to the creation of the systems biology field and has the served as the foundation for the development of novel antibacterial and antifungal drugs.
Shapiro also served in an advisory role in the Clinton administration and in the second Bush administration. She is currently serving as a member of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford.
"As my research progressed, I felt that I was in a position where I could, in fact, influence policy," Shapiro said. "I had done the basic science that would allow me to understand how bacteria work, and I felt the responsibility to educate and inform the public about what I began to perceive as a growing threat. Our legislators and our government leaders have to know what's really going on. So I've kind of been thrust into a position as a spokesperson for these issues."


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So I'm on the train to London and my book on photographic theory starts relating people's responses to photographs with Freudian theories of the fetish. The fetish, says Freud, is a male pursuit caused by, wait for it, psychic trauma over the mother's lack of a penis. The male viewer looks and looks away from the genital region, and this like/not-like dilemma can be related to photographs which produce the same response. Much analysis follows.
I plugged this into my Is-This-Bollocks-O-Meter, and it came out with a resounding 'Yes, this is Bollocks'.
Now, it's clearly wrong to jump to conclusions. Proper skeptical reasoning demands I take into account my own biases and lack of knowledge. Have I read Freud? No. Am I an expert in psychology? No. Am I particularly knowledgeable when it comes to photographic theory? No. Do I have a deep suspicion of psychoanalysis anyway? Yes. But, I've read modern psychology guides saying psychoanalysis was rejected a long time ago. I've seen this from more than one source.
I plugged this new data into my Is-This-Bollocks-O-Meter, and it came out with a resounding 'Yes, this is still Bollocks'.
This issue was still bouncing around my brain as I arrived at uni the next morning and headed into the weekly theory lecture. It started off very well. On Surrealism and the city, the first half was fascinating and generated much discussion in the cafeteria. The second half, though, went off the deep end rather quickly. Apparently much of Surrealism was intended as an expression of the unconscious mind, and this lead to a discussion of Freud. The unconscious mind was explained, and this somehow resulted in a student interjecting with the theory that our destinies are pre-planned in our heads and we just follow a set path. The lecturer, a perfectly likeable chap, pandered to this by noting (not sure why) curious coincidences in his life – for example, he lives only fifteen minutes from where his parents first met! Could there something else going on?
I thought this was all a bit stupid, but kept my mouth shut. We then heard a brief explanation of the fetish, which mercifully didn't mention the whole lack-of-penis thing, and then came a powerpoint slide on dream interpretation, claiming that our dreams are full of unconcious meaning. By this point I'd had enough.
In a manner most unlike me, I leapt into a conversational pause and stated that modern psychology rejected Freudian ideas decades ago. It's not that there are no elements of truth, but we now use a different framework. Dreams aren't full of unconscious meaning, they're just random neurons firing in the brain1. So why is psychoanalysis so prevalent in photographic theory? Is it just because it was around in the 60s and 70s, when much of the initial theory was formulated? I finished my little speech in rather unfamiliar territory, wondering what was going to happen next.
You've never seen anyone back away from a theory so fast.
He agreed that the prevalence of psychoanalysis at the time might contribute, and suggested that I'd hit a sore point in regards to modern thoughts on photographic theory. This was nice to know. But his main explanation for the eminence of the theory was that Freud wrote incredibly well – he is apparently a joy to read. The lecturer wasn't endorsing this as a valid piece of reasoning, but it was quite the astonishing thing to say, given that we're meant to be taking the theoretical ideas seriously. He didn't seem annoyed that I'd raised the issue, thankfully 🙂
A bit later we somehow got onto the effect of tv/games/films on young people, and the lecturer said he thought it was obvious the rise in knife crime could be attributed to media depictions of violence. I bristled, but decided I'd objected enough for one lecture; thankfully one of my classmates challenged him.
A friend later asked if I was feeling a bit uppity (in a friendly way, though). We all agreed that the lecture had taken a bizarre turn in the second half, and the role of media violence came up in conversation later.
I feel a bit odd about speaking up, as I'm deeply suspicious of anything suggesting I know better than the teachers, especially as I'm in the first few months of my course. I'm happy to be shot down in flames if I am wrong, though, so I think it's ok. All things considered, I think it was justified.
- I think this is actually a bit more complicated, to be fair [↩]


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Multi-stem Plant Supports Spiral plant supports set of three.
Easy to fit, quick-release elasticated net ...
Twisters Extendable Plant Supports Twisters Set of Three ...
Hanging Wall Planters
Secure plant pot hangers : Pack of 5.
Will secure most plant pots to a wall or post. Can hold pots and troughs up to 10kg in weight
Made from galvanised steel, great to add a splash of colour to your fence or wall.
Product code: TEX010
Delivery: Standard 3-5 days
13th-15th April 2018RHS Show Cardiff
The Invisible Pot Hanger ...go to site
10th-13th May 2018Malvern Spring Show we meet up with Carol Klein
See us on the Twister Stand ...go to site
New & exciting RHS flower show,go to site


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My Details
Email Update
Saved Properties
Sign In | Register
A protected village with special grants given for renovation to local standards like wooden shutters, ceramic roofs etc., exceptionally pretty village – inland from Heraklion about 15 minutes drive now there is a new road. The architecture of the buildings in the village are fantastic. There is a fantastic square with tavernas, shops and restaurants. Even the supermarkets and mini markets are to a certain style. Archanes has it's own open air cinema. It is 14 kilometres to Heraklion and about 15 kilometres to the sea .
Quick Links
Contact Us
Email : email@example.com


text: Hey, if I upgrade to kernel 1,15, will all files on the card be deleted? (I am new to this so it might be a stupid Q.) And... - What is softreset? - What is DMA? - Is it important to organize the menu in a certain way for better function? - Is it possible that downloaded roms can mess up the DS? (viruses etc) - If I remove a .nds file that have some saved data, can I put the saved data back on a new downloaded file ( new game from a different source) Thank´s


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Janet Wilson
Janet Wilson's Latest Posts
"Building the Machine" – The Common Core Movie
"Building the Machine introduces the public to the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) and its effects on our children's education. This DVD set (the original documentary, pilule bonus parent interviews, and six supplementary episodes) tells the Common Core's story in the words of leading educational experts, including members of the Common Core Validation Committee, along with parents, teachers, and a social worker.
"The Common Core is the largest systemic reform of American public education in recent history. What started as a collaboration between the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to reevaluate and nationalize America's education standards has become one of the most controversial—and yet, unheard of—issues in the American public.
"In 2010, 45 states adopted the Common Core, but according to a May 2013 Gallup Poll, 62% of Americans said they had never heard of the Common Core. Prominent groups and public figures have broken traditional party lines over the issue, leaving many wondering where they should stand.
"Parents, officials, and the American public should be involved in this national decision regardless of their political persuasion." – CommonCoreMovie.com
BUILDING THE MACHINE – Official Trailer
BUILDING THE MACHINE – The Original Documentary
WE ARE ALL THE SAME – Trailer #2
THE PARENT INTERVIEWS – Preview


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Just days after we announced our 2017-18 Downtown House Concert series, we had already sold out of all of the subscriptions. With a continuing demand for our Sunday Downtown concerts, we decided to add two brand new performance dates that, when added to our Sunday Ovation Concerts and March Downtown House Concert, allows for a full 5-concert subscription.
Enjoy chamber music of the highest caliber performed in some of the most engaging venues of downtown Charleston, all on a beautiful Sunday afternoon!
Tickets are $50 for individual concerts and $240 for a subscription to all 5 concerts. As these concerts always sell out, advance purchase/reservation is required.
Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 3pm
location tab – Downtown House Concert
Bruch Kol Nidrei, Op. 47 for Cello and Piano
Tchaikovsky Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42
Beethoven Piano Trio Op. 70, No. 1
Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 3pm
Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street – Ovation Concert
Guest pianist Andrew Armstrong and violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti return to Charleston for the grand opening Ovation concert for the 2017-2018 season.
SAINT-SAENS Havanaise in E Major, Op. 83
DVORAK Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 87
Sunday, January 7, 2018 at 3pm
Dock Street Theatre, 135 Church Street – Ovation Concert
Grammy Award-winning violinist Karen Kim returns to Charleston to join musicians of CMC for two masterpieces of the string chamber music repertoire.
BEETHOVEN String Quartet in E Minor, Op. 59 No. 2
MENDELSSOHN String Quintet No. 2, Op. 87
Sunday, March 4, 2018 at 3pm
The Confederate Home and College – Downtown House Concert
ZELENKA Sonata No. 3 in B-Flat Major, ZWV 181
TIKKER Three Dances for Oboe and Harpsichord
J.S. BACH Trio Sonata in G Major, BWV 1039
Sunday, April 22, 2018 at 3pm
location tab – Downtown House Concert
RAVEL Valses Nobles et Sentimentales
MOZART/HUMMEL Piano Concerto in C major, K. 503 arr. for Flute, Violin, Cello and Piano


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I hope you had a good day. Here is my star for day #338 (1433).
A simple design tonight, with some simple squiggle lines to represent hanging lights. That's the vision I had for the lines and when I think about it, they remind me of the lights in the Grinch, but I haven't seen it in a while, so I could be a little off.
We picked out our tree today and it went really quick, the first one was it. We just get them at Home Depot now, so not to big of an adventure. I miss the days of going to a tree farm and cutting down our own. So, when we found one on the first try I was a little sad because I would have liked it to last a little longer. It is a great tree and it looks just wonderful! The smell is the best too, I love coming in from outside and getting that fresh evergreen smell. So nice.
That's all for me. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Take care,


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Interesting development in 450 Bushmaster-land. Calguns was insistent that a side crimp is needed for our beloved cartridge. But a quick perusal over at our favorite .450 Bushmaster forum gives the following insight:
450+ wrote:Thanks guys for the quick responses. I would like to use the 45-70 modification but I'll need to get the die and hunt down a machinist, so the tubing cutter modification seemed like the best start for now, something even I could do. Plus I just received my Lil'Gun and am aching to load up some 230gr FMJs. MOA accuracy would be sweet but realistically I'm loading up for plinking, hunting, and defensive purposes. "Minute of grizzle," as wildcatter has coined, is good for me, anything else is just gravy.
If no one has a picture, am I right that the longer screw is simply to hold the nut, or is it for something else? Does there need to be a gap inserted between the two "handles" and that's why a longer screw is used?
I guess I don't get why I can't just dull the crimper and get to crimping, leaving the factory screw/bolt alone.
You can, the drill is not required.
Did you get the Hornady die set? If you did it comes with a taper crimp, there is no requirement for any other kind of crimp. I called and talked to the Hornady folks about making a side crimp and they were kind of at a loss as to why people want one. They said the factory ammo is all done with a taper crimp and they feel it does a good job.
There seem to be twoe reasons that people are looking for a side crimp style die/tool.
1.) so far with some testing (a small testing pool) it seems to give more consistent pressure, and therefore more consistent velocities which will help tighten up vertical spread.
2.) shooting lighter bullets like the 185 grn bullets. They seem to be so light that they leave the case before all the powder is burnt. A tighter crimp would help with that.
Your 230 grn bullets should not have a problem with number two.
So you are really GTG on reloading without any other tools, a side crimp is not a requirement.
I modified the 45-70 die to get a smaller crimp. Popped the crimp collar out, stuck it in the lathe and trimmed the crimp "bump" back 'till it gave me the crimp I wanted.
The un-modified crimper.
The modified crimper.
Slash, My Lee 45-70 FCD arrived today. How did you get the collet out of the die to shorten the crimping section?
I chucked the end of the collet that sticks out of the housing up in my lathe so that the housing was smack up against the jaws of the chuck, then I screwed the nut that is on the housing tight against the chuck jaws. Further tightening will force the housing away from the chuck and off of the collet.
If you don't have a lathe you could use a vise with a couple of chunks of wood to protect the collet end. Or vise grips, a C clamp, somebody with a really string grip, you get the picture.
I just put the die in my reloading press and punched the collet out with a proper fitted wood dowel. It is just a snap ring that holds it in.
I reconfigured the crimp so that it only crimped into the cannelure. This is a 200gr Barnes bullet that has been crimped and pulled. 2 strong whacks with the puller to get it out. All rounds feed flawlessly.
I'll post the actual numbers from my last range visit later, but here's the short version.
The crimp increased the velocity by about 100fps and improved the accuracy, these 200gr bullets were giving me ragged holes at 100yds.
The 275gr bullets with 42.8grs of Lil'Gun also improved. Running around 2070fps and 1.5″ groups.
The spread I loaded with AA1680 was a major surprise with the velocities running a little over 1600fps to 1800fps, the last 3 loaded to 100% case capacity.
No signs of pressure on any of the loads.
200gr Barnes 42.8grs Lil' gun no secondary crimp 2414fps, light crimp 2475fps, heavy crimp 2564fps.
275gr Barnes 34,5grs Lil' gun no secondary crimp 2050fps, light crimp 2093fps, heavy crimp 2128 fps.
275gr Barnes 39.2grs AA1680 heavy crimp 1708fps.
40.1grs AA1680 heavy crimp 1749fps
41.2grs AA1680 heavy crimp 1811fps (100% case capacity)
I've set up my side crimper for the 275 gr Barnes bullet with a 2.25″ AOL. I've got it crimping .190″ down from the case mouth. This catches the bottom cannelure but not much of the base of the bullet, that's the widest part on the these and I didn't want to mess with the sealing of the bullet in the barrel.
you can see this deforms the bullet a fair amount.
Without the side crimp it only takes one good whack with the inertia puller to move or dislodge the bullet. With the side crimp it takes 3 good whacks to dislodge it.
I'll let you know how this effects the ballistics next time I make it to the range.
Here's another style of crimp. This too will stop bullet creep dead in its tracks, its a type of side crimp. After you've pretty much decided which bullet you like most or the trade-offs you are willing to except, you can have Lee Dies; make up a Lee Factory Crimp Die that crimps well south of the case mouth, just like the side crimp I use (your going to have to tell them how far south on the case you want it and how much crimp is required, hey, this is all custom stuff here). Or, I bought a Factory Crimp die for the 45-70, cutting off the base of the die and shortening that crimp plunger do-dah (heck I don't know what they call it?), this let the case go well above the top of the die, before the crimping action took place, which then placed the side crimp way down the case, where I wanted it anyways. This is very slick and quick for reloading and much less time consuming than the chemical bonding. Of course, this will require some minor machining.
Safety First…t


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Men's Ministry
Engaging Multigenerational Groups of Men (43:06)
Denny Autrey discusses God's plan for transferring truths from one generation to the next - The study of the "Shema". more
Helping Men Be Husbands and Fathers (39:50)
Scott Maze leads this session focused on the primary place to display the Gospel is at home. How can men lead their families with kindness and strength? more
Leadership Enlistment in the Local Church (05:16)
Dillard Willbanks discusses the challenges of enlisting volunteers and leadership in churches. more
Equipping Men as Leaders (04:27)
Chris Shirley discusses men's ministry and challenges those ministries to help undergird the role that men have been given by God. more
A Teacher's Tool (46:34)
There are different tools that teachers need to have in their toolbox in order to communicate the significance of what they are trying to share. Jeff Young teaches at the 2014 EQUIP Conference. more
Life Changing Bible Study (50:33)
Jack Terry's philosophy of teaching is to help people come to learn better what they already know. At the 2014 EQUIP Conference, this session looks to help teachers improve what they are already doing. more
Being a Real Man of Impact (44:05)
Being a Real Man in Today's Culture (36:25)
Being a Real Man in the Home (21:07)
How to Use Groups to Reach Men (26:55)
Lance Crowell, Don Munton, & Eric Reed discuss how churches can effectively use groups to reach men. more


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Kelly Osbourne has been slapped with a lawsuit from her father's former mistress after posting her contact details online.
Ozzy Osbourne's 34-year marriage to his manager wife Sharon hit the rocks in May (16) after the rocker's alleged fling with Los Angeles-based hairstylist Michelle Pugh went public, and Kelly made her feelings about her dad's mistress clear by taking to social media and putting her on blast.
The TV personality lashed out on Twitter, and posted a Los Angeles phone number believed to belong to Pugh, who went into hiding as soon the affair news was made public.
After receiving some criticism from followers who suggested she take out her anger on her dad instead of Pugh, she fired back, "My father is almost 70 ever heard of elder abuse?"
Ozzy and Sharon initially split, but they have since reconciled, and on Wednesday (03Aug16), as a tell-all interview with Pugh was published in People magazine, a representative for the Black Sabbath frontman revealed the musician was undergoing "intense" therapy for sex addiction. The spokesperson also admitted Pugh wasn't the only woman Ozzy had romanced behind Sharon's back in recent years.
Now Pugh, 45, is taking aim at Kelly for the backlash she suffered as a result of the headline-grabbing tweet.
In legal papers filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and obtained by TMZ.com, the hairstylist has slammed Kelly for suggesting she manipulated 67-year-old Ozzy, insisting he was the one who initiated the romance in 2013 and kept the relationship going until May (16).
Pugh claims she had a cease and desist letter sent to Kelly demanding she take down the post, but it wasn't deleted for almost a month, causing her to be "slut-shamed, bullied and harassed". She also lost out on business as a celebrity stylist as a result, and is now suing for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and public disclosure of private facts.
"I am a private individual. I am not a celebrity," Pugh tells People. "My private life is off limits."
Kelly, 31, has yet to respond to the legal action.
Her mother Sharon opened up about Ozzy's sex addiction treatment on her U.S. daytime show The Talk on Wednesday, admitting she was embarrassed and "mortified" at how his struggle almost tore apart their family.
However, she claimed she was "proud" of the rocker for admitting his mistakes and enrolling in a treatment programme.


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Your business
We partner with Manitoba businesses to support their diverse energy needs and ensure they have safe, reliable supplies of electricity and natural gas.
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Power Smart programs
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Partnering at the Pace of Startups
As attitudes around financial technology have shifted from "disruption" to "partnerships," we here at Propel have had a front-row seat. We're excited about bank and startup collaboration and we've also seen the challenges both sides face. When banks and startups better understand the culture and pragmatic concerns of the other, we'll see a higher percentage of courtships result in real collaboration, bringing products and services to market that will ultimately result in better user experiences for bank customers. Many hurdles...
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay up to date on the latest in the fintech universe.


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In the Honors College, you'll gain a competitive edge with limitless leadership, research and academic opportunities. Offered through all majors, an honors' education provides you with resources to develop your highest achievements within your field of study. And with help from an Honors College adviser, you can carve a pathway towards success.
The Honors College accepts high achieving students with an excellent academic record, including first-year students (high school applicants), transfer students and current Oakland students. They will join a community of students who are exceptional; students who are regularly accepted into the top three graduate schools of their choice.
Admission Information
In order to be accepted to The Honors College (HC), high school seniors must first apply to, and be accepted by, Oakland University. The Honors College accepts students throughout the year.
Students who fall into either category below may be accepted to the Honors College by initially following two different paths.
- Qualified students who meet or exceed the minimum requirements:
3.7+ GPA with a 1100+ SAT or 27+ ACT
These students automatically qualify and can register for one of our HC Info Sessions after activating their OU Net ID. Once you have your User ID and password, go to 2018 HC Info Session in the student portal. By clicking on the title first listing, you will see all currently available dates. Register for yourself and up to two guests by clicking on the "Register" button. You should receive a confirmation email (to your Oakland email address), with further information, within 24 hours. All incoming freshmen, including Presidential Scholars, must attend an Honors College Info Session to be fully admitted to the Honors College.
*If you meet the above GPA and SAT/ACT requirements, you are not required to complete The Honors College application for admission.
**Following your Honors College Info Session, students are asked to complete our New Student Information Form.
- Interested students who don't quite meet the minimum requirements, may still apply if they meet the following criteria:
3.3-3.69 GPA with a 1000-1090 SAT or a 23-26 ACT
Students who fall into this category must complete the application form and, if approved, follow up by attending an HC Admitted Student Session. The Honors College looks for students who display a willingness to pursue academic excellence and leadership opportunities.
Application can be mailed to students upon request or can be obtained from The Honors College office at 210 Oak View Hall.
Send your application through:
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
- Fax: (248) 370-4479
- Mail:
The Honors College
Oakland University
Oak View Hall, Room 210
509 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester, MI 48309-4452
Current OU students interested in The Honors College are required to have a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA and attend an on-site informational session.
Students may contact us by calling (248) 370-4450 or emailing firstname.lastname@example.com to set up an appointment for one of our info sessions.
Transfer Students
Transfer students interested in The Honors College are required to have a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA.
At some point students who are accepted for admission here to the Honors College will be asked to come and see us for an on site discussion.
Transfer students may contact us by calling (248) 370-4450 or emailing email@example.com to set up an appointment to attend one of our informational sessions conducted by an HC advisor.
Oak View Hall is a dedicated Honors College facility on Oakland University's main campus. Admitted Honors College students, wishing to live in Oak View Hall, can submit a housing application for the 504-bed facility with freshmen expected to reside in the double style rooms while upper class students will have access to the private bedroom suites. Oak View will not be the only housing utilized by the Honors College population, however, as students can also house either off campus or in a number of other housing facilities on campus.
Junior and senior students of The Honors College, selected to live in the Frances M. Moceri Scholar House as Moceri Scholars, embrace empathy, collaboration, mentorship and vision as significant leadership and success-making qualities, bringing these qualities to their own lives, to the Oakland University community at large and to the world around them.
Moceri Scholars host notable discussion events on key global, national and local themes, lunches and dinners with hosted guests, project and research explorations, and guest workshops, as well as "Moceri Leadership Events" back on campus. These Moceri leadership events are organized and presented by the Moceri Scholars with the assistance of the staff of The Honors College. The Honors College appoints a yearly Senior Moceri Scholar who acts as Frances M. Moceri Scholar House coordinator and liaison.
In 1997, John Turturro, the Italian-American actor born in the same year Oakland University was founded, echoed the words of Oakland's founder, Matilda Wilson, when he declared "the past has to inform the present" in order to support the future. Indeed the Honors College's Frances M. Moceri Scholar House, and the activities within it and developed out of it, represent the past and contribute decisively to the present.
Ultimately through the Frances M. Moceri Scholar House we empower mentors, collaborators and leaders who will impact positively and prominently on the future.
HC students are automatically members of The Honors College Student Association (HCSA). HCSA hosts a variety of fun events each year for all Honors College students.
To keep up to date on HCSA events, go to Grizz Orgs and join the HCSA Student Organization. To learn more, contact your current President, Liz Lawer.


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Built on the south banks of the beautiful 48.13 square mile lake of Lake Apopka, Winter Garden is just 20 minutes west of Orlando and 20 minutes north of our world renowned theme parks. Because of this locality it is one of the premier locations to own a home. Winter Garden is a former citrus town and home to almost 40,000 residents. Our Historic Downtown is also a hidden treasure and listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. For the avid cyclists, West Orange Trail will soon be part of the 250 mile Coast to Coast (C2C) Trail. Over a million people use this trail every year.
Winter Garden is known for its warm charm, great schools, one of the lowest property tax rates in Orange County. Winter Garden is also a great place for small businesses.
Winter Garden Florida has a lot to offer:
Credit: City of Winter Garden, Florida
|See listings below.
|2 Bedroom
2 Bath
|1,288 SqFt condo
in Palisades
|14200 Avalon Rd, Unit #129
Winter Garden, FL 34787
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Lent Meditation
Friday March 17th Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
As a child, I remember being given a book from Sunday School with this psalm in it. It had beautiful coloured pictures of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Never has this psalm been so important to me as it has over the last few years. They have been a time of great shock and sadness in my family life.
Living in the Dales, we see evidence all around us of sheep and shepherds. So it is with our Lord. He will always look after us, never leave us. When, like young lambs, we stumble and fall, he will lift us up. He will comfort us when we don't know how to face tomorrow and will never forsake us.
Dear loving Lord Jesus, what a comfort it is to know that you are our Shepherd. You will take care of us, whatever today or tomorrow bring. When we are fearful for the future, help us to remember that a good shepherd never leaves his sheep. Thank you Lord!


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I absolutely love this story:
I absolutely love this story:
Some things are static when it comes to weddings. The bride will wear a white dress; there's something borrowed, something new and something blue. But what is a bride to do when she realizes that all of her closest friends are men?!
Check out what this Engineering student did.
Full Story:
Kudos to an 82-year-old former weightlifting champion who successfully subdued and held a would-be intruder until police came. The former champion and hero didn't feel accolades were necessary stating that he was doing what he felt he should, "….protecting his home and wife from harm …".
Full News Story:
According to one study, porn free relationships last longer. You would think this is a no brainer, however men and women differ in their opinion on this issue.
Read full story.
What are your thoughts?
A recent study says married couples are having less sex. On average 51 times per year, a little more than once per week. This is 9 times less than they did two decades ago. Ironically, the numbers remained steady among unpartnered/unmarried individuals.
Read full article here.
Congrats are in order for R&B Crooner, Tyrese Gibson who recently tied the knot on Valentines Day. Gibson announced the news to his fans via Instagram.
The couple reportedly met through mutual friends shortly after Gibson shared his open letter to his future wife in 2015. The new bride, Samantha Lee (Schwalenberg ) is a Social Worker and philanthropy professional.
We are here for this …. Congratulations to the happy couple, we wish you well!
Question: I saw my friend's husband having dinner with another woman. What should I do?
My answer: Nothing.
A few months ago, I saw a married man I know at a gas station with another woman. Initially, I thought, "I know this man, I know his wife and the woman he is with right now is not his wife". For me, this situation was a no-brainer. This is not my business, not my concern – keep it moving. First and foremost, I realize that things aren't always what they seem. For all I know, this woman could have been his cousin, his niece, a co-worker, etc. The exchange could have been totally innocent. Second, even if infidelity on the husband's part was true, I have no idea what their marriage arrangement or agreement is. Quite honestly some wives look the other way when their husband's cheat and don't want to know about his indiscretions. Third, I didn't know the wife well enough to discuss such a sensitive topic.
Back to the original question, "I saw my friend's husband having dinner with another woman. What should I do?" In this situation, the individual saw their friend's husband in a what appears to be compromising situation. If this friend is a really close friend, they probably already know a great deal about the person's relationship status. Therefore, simply casually mentioning that you saw her husband at dinner should be enough. If she wants more detail, share without accusing the husband of anything and let your friend take it from there. Who knows, this could have been a business meeting with a client.
Remember things aren't always what the seem.
Inspired by Joyce M. Jones
"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." — Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
My husband has undergone numerous health challenges in the past decade of our twenty-six years of marriage. Quite recently, he had a "routine" procedure that nearly cost him his life. There is really no, minimally invasive, "routine" procedure when you are diabetic. A couple of days after the procedure, he was weakened and in pain with chills and a fever. It was apparent that he had an infection. I accompanied him to urgent care where it was determined that he had a serious sepsis infection requiring hospitalization.
When I left him at the hospital, I knew he was sick but felt confident that once the antibiotics had taken effect, he would be fine. About 3 a.m., I received a call from the hospital that he would be moved to ICU. They allowed him to speak, his voice was trembling. He expressed that he felt very cold and that he loved me.
At the time, he and my 92-year-old father were in the hospital. I thought the worst, "my God, I didn't want my story to be that I lost my husband and my dad very close together". I had heard of such stories, but I did not want it to be mine. God enveloped me in His peace. I prayed that God would spare him; that no matter what, I would trust Him; and that His perfect will be done. I tried to sleep, but of course I couldn't. I was not worried. I wanted the time to pass so I could see him. He is a Veteran and getting onto a military base hospital isn't as easy as just driving up to a civilian hospital. I wanted my son to see him, just in case this would be the last time. I phoned the hospital about every hour. At daylight, I gathered my son and we headed to the hospital. The antibiotics were working. God didn't have to do it, but He did! He spared both my husband and my dad. You have heard the saying, "you don't miss your water, 'til the well runs dry". Well, that is not me when it comes to my husband. I love him and appreciate him every day. I know I would not be the woman who I am without him. I am so thankful and I realize that our love is truly meant to be a divine union. We were brother and sister in the Lord first, fellowshiping and discovering bible truths; then friends, sharing our everyday experiences, getting to know one another and accepting one another; then husband and wife, sharing love and life, building an amazing family together.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for my husband and my marriage.
Meditative Reading: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Inspired By Joyce M. Jones
"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour." Ecclesiastes 4:9
It's been nearly twenty-seven years ago – we enjoyed each other's company enough for me to ask him to escort me to my ten-year high school reunion. At our church, he had become quite the reliable photographer. Willingly accepting the task of escort/picture taker, he escorted me to the reunion with his camera secured around his neck. We took the commemorative photograph together. The reunion photographer insisted that we stand close to each other. That's the first time we embraced, though mechanical, it seemed very natural. I didn't see him for most of the evening, I mingled with classmates while he took pictures. A few days after the reunion, he presented me with a photo album of nearly 100 pictures. I saw people in the photos that I didn't recall seeing face- to-face. How thoughtful!
Of course I'm talking about my, now, husband of twenty-five years. The foundation of a good marriage is laid long before you say "I do". It begins with a commitment to God; we were committed to God as individuals, growing and maturing in Him; brother and sister in the Lord, fellowshipping. We enjoyed each other's company and started building a friendship by sharing our everyday experiences, and getting to know one another. I am so thankful for all that happened to bring us together in a divine union.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the gift of love, the gift of friendship, and the blessing of our marriage. We give you praise for the joy and the love you have poured into our hearts.
Meditative Reading: Galatians 5:22-23
Before you start asking, "where is my Jesse Williams?" Let's get a couple of things straight. We can all agree, Jesse Williams is the truth. He's smart, intelligent, hella-handsome (a word I made up) and most importantly hella-woke, a word I modified. My generation would say he's "conscious" – the millenials say, "woke" however you say it, he's definitely a breath of fresh air.
Since his acceptance speech at the BET Awards this past Sunday, social media has been lit with all things Jesse Williams. We've seen everyone and their cousin's mama posting clips of his speech, the many images of his wife along with the harsh scrutiny, to droves of females lamenting "where is MY Jesse Williams?" This reminded me of the whole "where is my Aesha Curry" mess that was circulating on social media a few months ago.
The cold hard truth is that you don't have a "Jesse Williams" because you would not know how to treat a Jesse Williams, and/or you're not on the same level intellectually or consciously as a Jesse Williams. Maybe in the past, you have dated a Jesse Williams but he was boring because he didn't party and club but was focused on his education, career, and future so you didn't see yourself in a committed long-term relationship with him, there was no passion, you needed excitement; perhaps you misused a Jesse Williams because he was "too nice" when in reality he simply respected you and treated you like a lady; perhaps you overlooked your Jesse Williams because he lacked swag and he wasn't light-skinned with green eyes, you were too focused on the superficial that you missed out on a man with a heart of gold simply because he looked a certain way.
So ladies, there could be a number of reasons why you don't have a Jesse Williams, and the first order of business is a self-assessment. Make an honest assessment of yourself (inward as well as outward) and you decide where is your Jesse Williams and why hasn't he manifested.
I actually talk about my "season of preparation"; the 7 years that I was single, celibate and believing God for a husband in my book No Longer a Bridesmaid! which can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other book retail sites. Yes, a shameless book plug about an easy read that I guarantee will enlighten and bless you. This book is for all the single ladies who are done dating and waiting and desire to be married. If you're single and content with mingling, I wish you all the best!